Dovecotes Primary School: school finances
Healthy
Holds £157k in reserve, 7% of a year's income. It has spent more than it received for 2 years, so watch the trend.
Latest full year 2024-25, as a council-run school (CFR return, April–March). Wolverhampton · Primary · Academy converter.
Earlier years come from this school's return before it became an academy (a different DfE number).
A 2025-26 return is published too, but it covers part of a year or leaves out the income or reserve figure, so the latest complete year is shown.
Reserve at the end of each year, 2018-19 to 2024-25
Income and spending, 2018-19 to 2024-25
Income Spending
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Income | Spending | Balance | Reserve | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018-19 | £1.6m | £1.6m | -£24k | -£46k | 302 |
2019-20 | £1.7m | £1.6m | +£76k | £31k | 284 |
2020-21 | £1.8m | £1.6m | +£199k | £229k | 270 |
2021-22 | £1.7m | £1.7m | +£20k | £250k | 256 |
2022-23 | £1.8m | £1.8m | +£426 | £250k | 258 |
2023-24 | £3.0m | £3.1m | -£59k | £191k | 283 |
2024-25 | £2.1m | £2.2m | -£35k | £157k | 272 |
Compared with similar schools
Similar schools are the 30 primary schools outside London closest in size and in the share of pupils on free school meals. Its reserve, as a share of income, is higher than 33% of them. It spends £7,991 a pupil in total; similar schools typically spend £8,356.
This school Middle half of similar schools Similar schools’ median
Show the comparison as a table
| Spending per pupil | This school | Similar schools (median) | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
Teachers | £3,287 | £3,836 | £3,425–£4,372 |
Support staff (e.g. TAs) | £1,848 | £1,791 | £1,485–£2,161 |
Supply staff | £36 | £205 | £61–£364 |
Admin and clerical | £277 | £319 | £271–£444 |
Premises | £812 | £469 | £402–£527 |
Energy | £236 | £119 | £94–£152 |
Learning resources & ICT | £312 | £331 | £250–£399 |
Bought-in services | £437 | £156 | £85–£292 |
Compare side by side with the 3 most similar schools
Which schools are these?
- St Cleopas' Church of England Primary Academy Large reserves
- Friarage Community Academy Large reserves
- Kingsland Primary School (NC) Heading for deficit
- St George's Beneficial Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School Large reserves
- Morpeth Road Academy Large reserves
- Acre Rigg Academy Large reserves
- Kenton Bar Primary School Large reserves
- Willow Wood Community Primary School Large reserves
- Ore Village Primary Academy Healthy
- Morecambe Bay Community Primary School Healthy
- Fender Primary School In deficit
- Fox Hill Primary Tight
Where the money comes from, 2024-25
| Source | Amount | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
Government grants | £2.1m | £7,654 |
SEN funding (part of grants) | £49k | £179 |
Pupil premium (part of grants) | £224k | £822 |
Self-generated (lettings, catering, donations) | £57k | £210 |
Questions to ask the school
Useful for parents, governors and PTA committees.
- Pupil numbers have fallen 10% since 2018-19. How is the school planning for fewer pupils, and the funding that goes with them?
- Spending on bought-in services is £437 a pupil, against a typical £156 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on energy is £236 a pupil, against a typical £119 for similar schools. What's behind that?
- Spending on premises is £812 a pupil, against a typical £469 for similar schools. What's behind that?
Check these figures
Every figure here comes from the school's published return to the DfE. Check it on the DfE benchmarking page for this school, and see how the status is worked out.
Admissions, Ofsted and results for Dovecotes Primary School · All Wolverhampton school finances